Shoppers Drug Mart readies first Murale store in Toronto

TORONTO – Shoppers Drug Mart Corp. this week plans to open its first Murale prestige beauty store in Toronto.

The Canadian drug store chain said Tuesday that the store, its third Murale unit, is scheduled to open its doors on Friday, September 4. It will be located in the Shops At Don Mills shopping center.

Plans call for SDM to open up to five more Murale stores in Canada this year, including outlets in Calgary and Vancouver. The first Murale unit was opened in November at Place d'Orléans in Ottawa, while the company’s first flagship opened in Montreal in December.

The beauty store concept features an assortment of luxury, dermatological, fragrance and niche brands from around the world and emphasizes staff-customer interaction and product sampling with its array of personalized services and contemporary design.

Prestige cosmetics brands include Bobbi Brown, Chanel, Estée Lauder, Lancôme and Nars, each with its own area for interactivity and application. The fragrance section includes more than 75 men’s and women’s scents from such companies as Prada, Donna Karan, Chloé, Cartier and Etat Libre d’Orange.

The skin care area, meanwhile, is equipped with professional assessment tools as well as topical treatments and nutra-cosmetics. Showcased brands include Natura Bissé, Vichy, Murad and Darphin, according to SDM.

On the service side, Murale Beauty Masters assist customers in finding cosmetics and fragrances and can provide expert makeup applications, the company said. The professional skin care team includes a full-time aesthetician and a pharmacist. Other novel services include a Benefit Brow Bar and a menu of more than 30 beauty and spa services available in a private cabine near the dermatological section.

"Since our first Murale store opened in Ottawa, we've received fantastic feedback from our customers, who are enchanted by our service, our brands and our expertise," Murale president Shelley Rozenwald said in a statement. "Now we can provide Torontonians with the opportunity to experience this unique beauty destination."